Page 3. Modern Matariki

Revival

Matariki celebrations were popular before the arrival of
Europeans in New Zealand, and they continued into the 1900s.
Gradually they dwindled, with one of the last traditional
festivals recorded in the 1940s. At the beginning of the 21st
century Matariki celebrations were revived. Their increasing
popularity has led to some to suggest that Matariki should
replace the Queen's birthday as a national holiday.

When Te Rangi Huata organised his first Matariki
celebrations in Hastings in 2000, about 500 people joined
him. In 2003, 15,000 people came. Te Rangi Huata believes
that Matariki is becoming more popular because it celebrates
Māori culture and in doing so brings together all New
Zealanders: ‘It’s becoming a little like Thanksgiving or
Halloween, except it’s a celebration of the Maori culture
here in (Aotearoa) New Zealand. It’s New Zealand's
Thanksgiving.’1

Māori kites

The revival of Matariki has also played a part in the
increasing popularity of the traditional Māori kite (pākau).
Hekenukumai Busby, an expert in traditional Māori navigation,
has said that the ancestors of Māori, including the
Polynesians of ancient history, welcomed Matariki by flying
kites.

Accordingly, Te Taura Whiri i te reo Māori (Māori Language
Commission), in their 2001 booklet on Matariki, suggested
that kites could be flown on the first day of the new year. A
number of modern Matariki celebrations have involved making
and flying kites. In a modern twist, the Hastings festival
featured fireworks and hot air balloons, symbolising kites
flown from the hilltops by the ancestors.

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Footnotes:

‘Celebration of Maori New Year reaches
new heights’, Hawke’s Bay New Zealand,
http://www.hawkesbaynz.com/trade_media/media_kits/media_releases/matariki_reaches.htm
(last accessed 10 April 2005). › Back

How to cite this page:

Paul Meredith, 'Matariki – Māori New Year - Modern Matariki', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/matariki-maori-new-year/page-3 (accessed 26 May 2019)